Editorials: Estonian PM does not understand seriousness of situation

Estonia's major dailies say in their Tuesday editorials that Prime Minister Kaja Kallas once again missed the opportunity to give convincing and exhaustive answers to the public. Photo: Tairo Lutter

Estonia's major dailies say in their Tuesday editorials that Prime Minister Kaja Kallas once again missed the opportunity to give convincing and exhaustive answers to the public and does not understand the impact of the scandal concerning her husband's Russia related business on the reputation of Estonia.

In its editorial titled «Kallas' Endless Groundhog Day,» Postimees says almost nothing new was learned at the sitting of the anti-corruption select committee, which Kallas attended.

According to the daily, Kallas said she was a good lawyer who earned a lot in her previous life.

«It was all the more strange to see that Kallas had not prepared for the committee meeting at all: there were no notes, documents, and she also started looking for her loan information on her mobile phone on the fly, which ended with the sad realization that it is not possible to get older information from there. Good lawyers do not do that,» Postimees writes.

The daily notes that Kaja Kallas once again missed the opportunity to give convincing and comprehensive answers to the public.

«'I don't understand your question,' the prime minister complained. 'She grumbled that she has been open and transparent, but she has learned the lesson that the more open she is, the more questions arise. Does Kaja Kallas really not understand? Attacking members of the committee, closed body language in the form of arms crossed on the chest and the continued vagueness was not an example of openness. It is not about the personalities of the members, some of whom the prime minister may dislike. In this case, the questions were asked by members of parliament, literally the representatives of people. And people have a right to know,» Postimees writes.

In its editorial titled «Prime Minister Kallas Still Does Not Understand,» Eesti Paevaleht says it is a shame that the prime minister still does not understand.

«The fact that no matter how legally correctly the companies linked to her husband followed the sanctions and how pure the origin of the money she lent is -- morally, she is no longer a beacon of economic sanctions against Russia. Instead, her example can be used to justify continuing to do business with Russia,» the daily writes.

According to the daily, the Helmes and Kallas are becoming increasingly similar by trying to please their supporters by tussling with each other.

«Yesterday's confrontation between Kaja Kallas and Mart Helme in the Riigikogu's anti-corruption select committee also caused the internal political alarm bell to ring louder. Instead of the facts explaining the causes of the eastbound transport scandal, the committee session mainly offered a fight between Kallas and Helme. Helme could have refrained from being derailed by irrelevant topics and Kallas could have come before the committee well prepared, for example equipped with documents refuting the accusations and suspicions of the opposition,» Eesti Paevaleht writes.

The daily finds that Helme seems to have come to Kallas's aid in a way -- by threatening to block the entire work of the Riigikogu because of the prime minister's personal issue, he shifts the focus from Kallas to his own unstatesmanlike behavior.

«Of course, one cannot give in to this kind of blackmail. If this happens, Kallas will get away and everyone else will pay for her scandal in the form of a weakened reputation of Estonia and deepening polarization,» the daily says.

In its editorial titled «The Arrogance of the Squirrels and the 'Wisdom' of the Helmes», Aripaev writes that the Riigikogu committee convened to investigate the details of the Russia related business activities of the prime minister's husband offered, at best, sick political entertainment, but no new relevant facts.

According to the business daily, what happened at the sitting of the anti-corruption select committee was broadly the same as at the spring plenary sessions in the Riigikogu, where the irrelevant outweighed the relevant.

«I'm a very smart person, it's very interesting. I'm a very educated person,» boasted committee chairman Mart Helme, quoting Lenin once again and telling a Russian anecdote as an interlude.

«However, Kaja Kallas, who was invited by the committee to report on her husband's Russia related business scandal, instead brought up Helme's activities as Estonia's ambassador in Moscow and the money spent on the construction of his Suur-Lahtru mansion,» the paper writes.

«In the Riigikogu elections, the Reform Party won an exceptionally large number of seats in the Riigikogu, which had only an encouraging effect on the historical ego and occasional arrogance of this party. On the other hand, the Estonian Conservative People's Party (EKRE) did not recognize the election results as legitimate, which in turn is expressed in a lack of basic courtesy,» Aripaev writes.

According to the daily, the only worthwhile thing that could be taken from the odd sitting of the select committee and included in our parliamentary practices is openness, that is, a live broadcast.

«This way, everyone can show their wisdom or stupidity (especially the latter) and the voters will get ideas for the day when the highest power next goes to the ballot box to decide on granting mandates,» the daily writes.